Back To Confusion
by DemetriaOwns
Summary: Ryan's back home. Seth and Summer's relationship is confusing, and everyone's just trying to get back to normal. Of course, nothing's ever normal in The OC.
1. Intro

Author's Note: It's been a LONG time since I've written a fic, so give me a break alright! This is kind of like how I want the premiere to be like. This is just the intro so it's short. Hope you enjoy it!  
  
---  
  
It's been 10 months. He walked down the Newport Beach looking around while eating his Balboa Bar. Everything seemed so different. 10 months isn't a long amount of time, but for some reason, Orange County looked unrecognizable. He continued to walk until he reached civilization. Back to ignorance and materialistic people. But for some reason, it felt so good. It was good to be home.  
  
He didn't expect a welcoming committee. Nobody knew he was even there. Therefore, he wasn't in any rush to get back to the house. Instead, he found his way to the local bakery where Theresa used to work. As he peeped inside, he saw the first recognizable person there. It wasn't the person he expected to crash into first, but it was a friend nonetheless. She was reading a book with complete focus, and it was the first time he saw her so completely lost in another world. He walked into the bakery and walked over to her. He stood behind her until he finally decided to speak.  
  
"What are you reading?" He spoke in a deep disguised voice.  
  
"Madam Brovery..." She didn't even bother to look up. Instead, she just continued her sentence "...and I'd rather not be hit on right now because I am so not in the..." she turned around and saw Ryan's face smiling at her. "RYAN!" She gave him a hug and gave him the biggest grin.  
  
"Hello to you too Summer."  
  
"Wha? What, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I'm home." Summer looked at him completely perplexed.  
  
"Home? But what about..."  
  
"The baby's not mine, and Eddie and Theresa worked their problems out. I still don't understand them, but I don't think I was meant to."  
  
"So...you're home? For good? I mean, you should go find Seth."  
  
"I thought that maybe I'd wait that one out for a while."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I just think he was really mad when I left. I tried calling his cell. He never picked up. Even after he came back from Catalina, he wouldn't take my calls whenever I called the house."  
  
"Hey you're not the only one he didn't call..." Summer was suddenly completely distraught. She closed her book and slouched back on her chair.  
  
"So I'm guessing that things aren't the best between you two?"  
  
"Not exactly a super relationship, but we're trying. I think."  
  
"Well, if it's any consolation, it's been hard to talk to Marissa too. I heard she had to go back to rehab. I just...I didn't know what to do for her."  
  
"I guess we're both kind a lost right now. But you have a chance to not be lost anymore. Go to the Cohen's."  
  
"Are you sure you don't wanna join?"  
  
"And not read the last chapter of this book? It's like the best part." Ryan got up and pushed in his chair.  
  
"Alright." He began to walk away until Summer called out to him. He turned around and saw Summer standing there nervously.  
  
"Can you...can you tell Seth I said hi...?" Her eyes wandered to the side and she sat back down. Her voice turned into a whisper. "...and that I miss him?"  
  
"Yah. Of course." Ryan departed the bakery, and soon enough, Summer took her book and did the same. 


	2. Home Again

Disclaimer: I own nothing but myself.  
  
Author's Note: Hey hey. I want to write longer chapters but I really don't have the time, and I wanna update as much as possible. So I'll try to make them longer, but for right now, here you go.  
  
--  
  
Ryan walked directly into the backyard. He was going to see if the pool house open, but instead he dropped his bags and looked out to the ocean. He's probably only looked at it once before. It was probably the most beautiful thing he's seen in a long time. He decided to sit and wait for the sun to go down. He had no idea if anyone was inside, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to see anyone quite yet. Finally the sun disappeared from sight, and he closed his eyes and stood up. At that moment, a familiar voice called his name. He turned around and gave a small shy smile, as if trying to convey that he's back for good all in a look. Of course it worked, and Kirsten ran around the pool and gave him a hug that almost squeezed the daylights out of him.  
  
"I've missed you too!" he said happily.  
  
"What happened? Why are you back? For good right?"  
  
"For good this time. Things just went weird in Chino. I could have stayed but then I realized something."  
  
Kirsten looked at him quite worried. He just smiled and spoke softly. "I already have a home."  
  
She gave him another hug, and grabbed one of his bags and hurried it to the pool house.  
  
"I have to tell Sandy. And Seth!"  
  
"Wait wait wait...first I need to talk to you about that." Ryan's voice suddenly became hesitant. "How is he? Seth. I mean, things were left in the air and I..."  
  
"He's fine Ryan. He's been kind of like how he was...before you. But, he's still Seth. Sarcastic and completely out of this world. No matter what, you guys are still brothers. Even if it's just by law."  
  
"Yah. Yah, thanks. Um, is he in his room?"  
  
"I think so. Either that or he went sailing. He's been doing more of that since you left."  
  
"Yah I thought he would. Well I'm gonna go talk to him." He was beginning to walk away until he realized that he forgot something. He went back and hugged Kirsten. "Thank you. For letting me in again."  
  
She just put on a face of complete sincerity. You can say that she conveyed everything she felt in just that one look. With that, he went inside to go talk to Seth.  
  
--  
  
Knock once. No answer. Knock twice. Nothing.  
  
Finally he decided just to open the door. He entered the room slowly. It wasn't the same as it was when he last saw it. The posters were all the same, but it was all rearranged differently. You can tell that he had a lot of time on his hands. For some reason, the complete difference in his room made Ryan feel worse and worse.  
  
"Hey. Do you like video games?"  
  
Ryan turned around and saw Seth leaning against the wall. He grinned and responded by saying, "Do you have Grand Theft Auto? I heard it's about stealing cars and stuff. Not like that's cool or anything."  
  
"Well it's pretty cool. I met my brother that way."  
  
"That must have been a hell of a story."  
  
"Yah, well he left a while ago."  
  
Ryan's smile faded fast. "Well. I'm pretty sure he's coming back. For good."  
  
Seth's smile was probably wider than it could ever be. "So what? Wanna play?"  
  
"Don't you think we should..."  
  
"We should start with Magical Gathering?? That's a good idea." Seth walked over to Ryan and gave him a hug. "I've missed you."  
  
Ryan patted his back in a manly way and said, "I've missed you too bro."  
  
"Are we having a moment?" Seth asked quickly.  
  
"Maybe." The two boys let go and started shaking each others hand instead. They purposely made their voices deeper and started saying comments like, "Nice to see you man." "You too."  
  
They were about to walk downstairs when Seth's cell phone started to ring. He went over to check the caller I.D, but when he saw who it was, he ignored it and began walking out of the room. Ryan went over to see what the number said. He checked the screen quickly.  
  
SUMMER.  
  
He took the phone with him downstairs, and met Seth who was already sitting on the couch. He threw the phone at his stomach, leaving Seth in a fast but agonizing pain. "What was that for, man???"  
  
"Call her," he said simply, but forcefully.  
  
"Hey I appreciate that you're back, but can you not be Mr. Female defender for like a second?"  
  
"Look, she misses you okay?"  
  
"And how are you so sure?"  
  
"I saw her this afternoon. She was at the bakery."  
  
"Yah, she's been spending a lot of time there," he said quite stalker-like.  
  
Ryan darted a confused look at Seth.  
  
"I pass by there everyday whenever I go to the Summer Breeze."  
  
"So why don't you talk to her?"  
  
"Because I feel bad, alright? I know I hurt her when she left, and I don't want her to have to deal with me. She deserves way better than that. I told her that she didn't have to be scared with me, but she does. I lied to her. I'm far from even deserving her presence."  
  
Ryan was quite unresponsive at that moment. He just grabbed the controller and plopped down on the couch next to Seth. "Look. She forgives you. Because she loves you. Right now she's probably thinking that she did something wrong. You have to tell her that she didn't."  
  
"But she did. She fell for the wrong guy." He got up from the couch and went out the backyard door.  
  
Ryan got up and followed him into the backyard. Seth was sitting on the pool bench with his hands pulling his hair.  
  
"Seth. Just talk to her, okay? Everything seems a bit unresolved as of right now. I think it might be good for you to just say hi. And tell her you miss her, because I know that it wouldn't be a lie."  
  
"Okay. Alright. I'll do it. But what about you? Have you talked to her?"  
  
"I just told you I ran into her..."  
  
Seth cut him off immediately. "Not Summer. Marissa."  
  
"Um...no. I don't know where she's been."  
  
"Yah, neither do I. Ever since you left we haven't been in great terms. I said some things I regret, and she just hasn't been able to forgive me quite yet."  
  
"What'd you say?"  
  
"Nothing of importance as of right now. But I think you should get a hold of her. Best bet is from Mr. Coop."  
  
Ryan sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I guess we're back to the lady drama?"  
  
"You know it. Us California boys." They both walked their separate ways to go find their _semi- not really_ girlfriends. 


End file.
